Want a guaranteed butterfly and hummingbird magnet? Or, one of the most fragrant of shrubs? Plant a buddleia (butterfly bush).

This fast-growing, deciduous shrub with long, arching shoots will reach heights of 6 to 8 feet. Although the green leaves add a welcome bit of color to any landscape, it is the masses of blossoms—long, seductively spiked trusses—that are special. From summer to autumn, the butterfly bush bears dense panicles, 12 inches or more long, that fill the air with a fruity scent.

At its northern limits, the shrubs can die back, sometimes all the way to the ground. No matter. Butterfly bush is vigorous and undemanding and will send up new shoots, given a sunny location and average garden soil.

Note: Butterfly bush can be an invasive species in some areas; check with your local cooperative extension before planting.

Planting

Buddleias need full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.

Plant in spring or fall.

Loosen the soil, mix in compost, and dig a hole twice the diameter of the plant container.

When placing the plant in the hole, the top of the rootball should be level with the soil surface

Space plants 5 to 10 feet apart, depending on the variety.

Water thoroughly.

Care

Water freely when in growth and sparingly otherwise. In the summer, water if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.

Each spring, apply a thin layer of compost and mulch to retain moisture and control weeds.

In cold Northern climates, spread mulch up to 6 inches deep around the trunk to nurture it through the winter.

Buddleias are very late to break dormancy, so don't be in a hurry to assess winter damage.

The bush should bloom abundantly even in its first year. In warmer climates, the bushes will grow into trees and develop rugged trunks that peel; peeling is normal.

In the northern limit of their range, they behave as herbaceous perennials, dying back to the root in cold winters.

Since they bloom on new wood, even if there is no die-back, cut them back to the ground every spring. Even where winters are mild enough for the stems to survive, prune severely to stimulate abundant growth on which flowers are borne.

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Comments

By V Rogers

Hi! We have a really short growing season here so we decided to keep my butterfly bush in its pot until next year. It was doing great until a week or two ago when it stopped growing and the leaves started to curl and turn brown. I can't figure what is wrong. I trimmed it the first time about a month ago but thats's all that has changed.

It's natural for a butterfly bush to turn brown in the fall. Water the bush well and move the plant next to a southern facing wall for added warmth and protection. Also cover the pot with mulch (straw works well).The plant may also be moved into an unheated garage or cool basement. If moved indoors, be sure to check the soil moisture every couple of weeks and water as needed. Pruning is best done in early spring while the bush is dormant.
.

By Ruth W

I live in South Jersey adn lost 2 Butterfly bushes in last years cold winter. I purched a dwarf one this year. I want to transplant it to a lanscaped bed on my patio. I am concerned about the root size. I do not want the roots coming through the wall or lifting up the patio. How much space do I need for roots?
Thanks

By Ruth W

I have read through many of the answers below and am more confused. I found one answer that said the roots are massive and another answer that said the plant does not have a big root system. Not sure which is the correct answer.

By AnnaJohnson0318

I have recieved a few butterfly bushes from work. I got them in the ground and used a root stimulator for 3 weeks and the blooms were doing amazing. Then I switched to a Bloom booster every 2 weeks... now they are drying up like they haven't been watered but I live in KS with near hundred degree temperatures, so i water them religiously. I trimmed the branches down and the spents... but is this them going dormant? or what is happening?

By Jacob Payez

Anna,
You do not need to use a blooming fertilizer on your butterfly bushes. They will bloom without much coaxing. Butterfly bushes do not need very heavy feeding. They prefer a balanced fertilizer type, 10-10-10, 5-5-5 for example. They will do well with some higher nitrogen fertilizer in early spring when new growth appears, or after a heavy pruning. By a fertilizer high in nitrogen, I mean high in the first number, 10-5-5, 15-5-5 for example. In later spring and summer, use the balanced fertilizer. You may not need much if your soil is good and fertile. The color of the foliage will tell you if it needs more food. I have found that the amount of sunlight the plant gets is the thing that causes the most rapid growth, much more so than fertilizing. It seems like the more sun, the better. Also, how loose and we'll draining your soil is plays a part. The easier they can spread roots, the bigger they'll get.

By SUEPERDOODLE

I live at the shore in NJ. I have been able to grow other shrubs and trees by mixing purchased soil in with the sand. Do you think a butterfly tree will survive and grow if I do the same for it? The tree will be in full sun all day. Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

By Ray Ciemniecki

Did you ever plant the bush at the Shore? I lost my house and all the landscaping during Sandy. I expect the house to be up this summer and am thinking about plants. I have one in my house in northern nj and it is great. If you did, please reply to my e-mail.. I am not on this type of page much to see a response.

By Cathy Jo

I purchased two tiny butterfly bush seedlings growing in 3" pots a couple of weeks ago at a state park here in southern Indiana. Should I pot them up to larger pots and bring them inside this first winter or go ahead and plant them in the ground. Whichever recomendation you give please include info about how to treat them for their first winter. Thank you for your time, Cathy Jo

Plant your seedlings in bigger pots now and transplant into the ground in the fall. See our planting instructions on this page. Before the cold weather arrives add mulch up to 6 inches deep around the plants to protect them from winter chills. Good luck!

By Cathy Stroud

Thank you so much for your quick reply about my butterfly bush seedlings. Besides the two I mentioned, Just yesterday I found in a large pot that last year sat under my butterfly bush, several young butterfly bushes from six to ten inches tall. I have been pulling them out as weeds this spring and early summer to allow my hen and chicks to fill the pot. After noticing yesterday that their not weeds, today I dug them out and potted them in 6 and 8 inch pots a total of 18 butterfly bushes. Oh My!. I'll give most of them away and treat them as you instructed. We had a really hard winter last year and I lost two well established large butterfly bushes as I failed to mulch them last fall. I waited so long hoping they would survive and come back that when I finally gave up on them I then had to wait till late June for the local nurseries to get thier second shipment of them as so manny were lost to last winter in our area and the spring shipment sold out quickly. So now I'm overflowing with butterfly bushes. Have learned a hard lesson and will always mulch in anticipation of a long hard winter. Thanks again for your reply, Cathy Jo

By Amy Weir

I transplanted my butterfly bush from the garden this spring into a plot of pretty good soil mixed with a little sand. It is in full sun almost all day, I water it when there has not been a lot of rain, which by the way we had plenty of for the last 3 days. This morning the stems and leaves are all wilting, I watered it about 5 hours ago and it is still drooping. Is it getting to much sun to early in the morning? I love the colors and want it to live !!!!! Please HELP,,,, TY, Amy

By frauchen

I live in San Antonio Tx. I did not cut back my butterfly bushes this spring and now they appear to be dying.....lots of woody stalks and few leaves after a gorgeous blooming season in the spring and early summer. do I cut back the dead stalks and continue to trim any spent blooms?

By Adam Dutton

We live in Georgia and I had the same problem last year. I cut everything down to about 8" off the ground. This was an eye sore for a while but at the end of the Spring, our butterfly grew back bigger and more beautiful than the ear before. This year, I did the same thing and had even better results!

By Sharlene mclaughlin

I live just outside of Calgary Alberta Canada where I thought we lived in a zone 4, however I was informed we live in a zone 2-3a anyway question: can I grow buttery bushes here ? I have a direct south facing back yard which means I get sunshine all day . Yes we have rain. Yes we have cold winters yes we have frost so with all that will the butterfly bush grow here? Is there any special care they will need? Thank you for responding .

By Tammie M

I live in zone 3b ironically my butterfly bush came back the following year after one of the coldest winters on record in Minnesota.
My butterfly bush is planted on the sunny most side of my yard that receives the most sunlight from morning till evening.

By Lize

My friend just gave me a butterfly bush. I reside in Bullhead City, AZ. The temperature here can get up to 123 degrees. I have very little shade. Can I put this bush in a planter or does it have to be in the ground. My friend also gave me a Russian Sage. I love flowers and plants of any kind. I am from NYC where plants are scarce in apartment living. Thank you.

Yes, you can grow some varieties of butterfly bush in Arizona. They are a good choice because they love full sun and are relatively drought-tolerant. They do not need shade though they will provide it. However, they do need good soil that is loomy and drains well with deep, infrequent watering. If your soil is questionable, they will also grow in a patio container.

By Erin M Wolever

I live in Spokane WA, my daughter gave me two B bushes last year and I was able to plant and keep them through the winter. They were doing really well until a few weeks ago when I saw that something has been eating it. The leaves are like lace, and I can,t seem to find anything on them. did spot an earwig on one. My plant is well grown about 4 ft tall the other is smaller about 3ft and not as full but both are being destroyed by whatever is causing the lacing effect. Can anyone help?

By anonymous

I have a butterfly bush I am not sure what type. I think it was mislabeled at the store. It said it was a black knight, but I have had it two years and it is only 3'tall. I live in Central CA and the plant is in full sun all day. Well each summer the leaves get scorched. They turn brown and crispy with arched like lines over them. I am not sure why this happens. We have sandy soil and it seems to drain well.

By Kimminee

I am not an expert but do you prune it down fall or spring to bring out new growth. Its prob staying at 3' cause you haven't cut off the older limbs. Also put in a spot where the bush can get shade off n on (cover over bush at hottest times) its a very prolific grower n bloomer make sure to cut or break off spent flower to get new ones. Hope this helps Kimmi

By Laura Fine

Hello,

I just recently bought a butterfly bush, and I had it in full sun (still in the pot). The blooms and leaves kept drying up like they were being fried by the sun so I moved it to part shade. The blooms and leaves stopped drying up but the blooms are still very limited. Unlike how they were when I first bought it. Now I'm confused as to where I should plant it. Full sun or part shade?

By Melissa M

I just bought my first butterfly bush and planted as recommended. Some of the panicles when I bought it were a beautiful purple and some of them had died.

It's been a couple of weeks and now all panicles have died. The leaves are still growing nicely. When should I see new flowers? Where do they start? From another panicle? I water it twice a day since the temperature reaches 90 - 98 degrees. Maybe I just need to give it more time.

By Mari Sorensen

By Barbara Noble

I live in Seattle, WA. I bought a butterfly bush last year and, since I live in an apartment, I planted it in a big planter. It bloomed last year then went dormant for the winter. This spring I cut away all the dried branches and it is now several feet tall and very green. However, as of today, 6/17/14, I have no blossoms. Should I do any pruning to encourage blooming? I water it once a week and turn the planter so it grows straight. Your advise is appreciated.

By EJidaho

By Wendy Bolton

I live in Bakersfield, CA & planted a butterfly bush in late March. It gets full sun, is well drained but we do water daily as we get only 2-3 inches of rain yearly lately. The bush did well & has a lot of blooms but I noticed yesterday that some of the leaves are turning back & curling up. They lo have OE holes as if bugs have been eating them but I don't see NY insects on them. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we lost our east huge bush last year. This one is about 3-4 feet tall.

By Gerri Mohler

We moved to a home last year at this time in sw Virginia. There are two beautiful huge butterfly bushes...one in front yard and one in back....but this year, they both look dead...can not figure out what happened!

By Marcelle Edinboro

Hello:
I am new to gardening. Last spring 2013, my lawn was dug up and now I have a garden. I live in Queens NY and I have noted that my two Butterfly bushes after blooming beautifully last year does not have a single blossom. They are growing beautifully but no flowers at all. My garden gets full sun from 11:30 Am till sundown. Please advise.
Thank you.

By Ethan Hollamby

By hallie

I bought a butterfly bush about 5 weeks ago, I live in the Bay Area near Berkeley. I planted in a sunny area with well amended soil. It looked great for about a week and then began to die. there are a few green branches but the bulk of the plant looks dead. I watered lightly daily in the beginning and then backed off thinking I was over watering - now don't know what to do.
I used to grow tomatoes on this strip so there is sun, the soil was originally clay but has been amended over many years. Help!
do i need to start over, cut back the dead sections or leave it alone

By jcat

I have a butterfly bush that has been glorious for years. We had to move it a couple years ago because of the size it grew to be. I usually cut it back about 1/2 its growth yearly. It is June 10th, and all I have is dead branches. No new growth showing at all. I have another that is a new bush that is starting to green up, but not the big one we've had for years? We are going to cut it down to about a foot high (were waiting for the baby birds to fly the coop as they were using it as a landing) and hope it comes back. I would be devastated if it is dead. Is it possible the winter/spring weather is causing it to be a very late bloomer? Or could it be gone? Thanks!

Not knowing where you live and how severe your winter was it's hard to say when the bush will show any signs of growth. Many regions in North America has had delayed growth this spring. Give your bush a few more weeks to see if it will come back.

By Brooke618

I have a butterfly bush that was well established when we bought our house 12 years ago. So it is quite old. It has withstood severe damage from a hurricane but this winter was extremely cold (in Baltimore) and now the bush has not come back. My husband cut it down to about 1 ft tall in late fall. I am concerned that it's truly dead but I haven't completely given up. It's now June 9th and is getting quite warm here. Is there any hope left for it to come back?

By Janine Barta

Hi, I live in Garland Texas, and just bought my mom 3 butterfly bushes for her 70th birthday. She wants them planted against her back wooden fence. I know they need to be planted 5-6 ft apart from each other, but my question is how far from the fence should we go? I have seen 2-3 ft. and another site said 5-6 ft. I am not the green thumb that my mom is, but she has just been diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's and I am leery of following her advice on this. Thanks.

What a lovely birthday idea--to attract butterflies! A fence provides extra shelter for the delicate winged beauties, too. In terms of how far back to plant your butterfly bushes from the fence: You need to find out the maximum spread of the variety; the nursery (or shop) you bought them from should be able to tell you if it's not on the label. When the plant is fully grown, you don't want to squashed or pushing against the fence. For example, see examples on this page which list the mature spread of different varieties: http://www.naturehills.com/bushes-and-shrubs/butterfly-bushes The mature spread can vary from 3 to 6 feet.

By CMBerman

I have a butterfly bush planted at the house base in an area that gets 8-10 hours of sun per day. The soil drains well and the only rain run off is from the front of a single story house as a gutter is just above. In the spring the bush is covered with fresh green leaves but as time goes on the leaves along the bush seem to wither and turn brownish exposing wood and only the tips maintain any green foliage and the blooms are very limited in number as size. It try to water regularly when there is no rain but it doesn't seem to help. How much should I water and do you have any other suggestions.

Do not worry about your butterfly bush. They are resilient. I was in a similar situation last year, moving into a new house with a butterfly bush. I did not cut it back and it bloomed beautifully all summer. Do cut it back next spring though.

By Rebecca Dessez

I bought my first bush last year. It was starting to come up nicely though being an amateur the shoots looked like weeds. Still, I left it alone...until I showed my husband. He said it looked like weeds and against my better judgment I started pulling the shoots until a few came off the old wood. Will it recover?

By Reenie

I've had a butterfly bush now since 2011...it was a tiny, little dead looking cut from my Sister's hardy butterfly bush, it grew into a beautiful 10 foot bush with awesome flowers and attracted many butterflies and hummingbird moths etc. We decided last August/September to start cutting it back as it was growing into our fence and knocking it over and also shading our sunflowers. It is now May 28, 2014 and the only new shoots we've gotten were at the bottom of the bush which now look like they have died off because of some more cold and frost we've had. No new shoots are growing from the top of the bush at all..we cut it down to about 3 feet...by this date do you think our bush is dead or should we at least give it another month or so? I know by now it is usually beginning to grow new shoots. Please help...I did put miracle grow underneath of it as I have every year since I've had the bush)It is a buddleia davidii, with large purple flowers...Please Help!!!

By Kristen in MA

Hello,
My Butterfly Bush has not come up yet. It was a new transplant last year suin the early summer. I did prune it, but not until late spring. When should I give up on it? Anything I can do to help/encourage it? I'm in Eastern, MA.

By Scooz

I live in Michigan and am getting really worried about my butterfly bush after the winter we had. (I worry every year, and every year it comes back just fine) However, I am not seeing any new growth yet at the base of my plant--I've had it for over 8 years. I trimmed some of the branches back, and they are not dry and hollow, but do not show any green yet. We had 30 degree weather up until 2 weeks ago, so should I just be more patient?

By les clark

By SMatteo

HI Les, I live in the New Castle Area north of Pgh and have about eight butterfly bushes on our property. It is now June 1 and they all appear dead. It's heartbreaking. PGH sling starts a few weeks before ours so I am wondering if you have had any luck yet with yours?

By Scooz

By Deanna Corona

My son and I bought 2 potted Butterfly Bushes in Early Summer of 2013. They were quite tall in the pot when we bought them. We looked carefully at the directions to plant however a few weeks after planting them the leaves started falling and looked like the bushes dried up. Now they still do not appear to be turning green. I have a couple of questions since the soil here in Omaha, Nebraska where we live has a lot of clay. We added potting soil however I wonder what we can do the next time regarding the soil to help them survive. I also question when we removed them from the pots that maybe we did not get the soil off enough to see the root bulb. Any help in this would be greatly appreciated! After my 3 year old daughter passed away, my 11 year old son and I love butterflies. We definitely will purchase and plant more but want to know exactly how to keep them living. Thanks so much!

By Lynn T

Hi Deanna, I lived in the Omaha area for over 10 years and the number one thing with any new plant was keeping it well watered every single day until well established to have really deep root system because of the frequent strong breezes, wind and gales which are quite hot at times. It just dries them to a bone in no time like a hairdryer. Most of the time, compared to the East, the humidity isn't all that high either to help make up for that evaporation and heat. They just really need babied at first. I had a couple butterfly bushes that grew well in Elkhorn. Watered a lot at first and happened to be on northwest side of a fence with evergreens which screened some of wind but still tons of sun and did well.
They are indeed well worth it for the butterflies and blooms. Good luck.

By Lisa Luna geroch

By Gary Hotopp

I have two Butterfly Bushes that I cut back each year to about a foot in early Spring. They both grow back to around 5 to 6 feet by late June to mid July. I live in central Ohio. Its fun to see what they'll attract each summer, especially the hummingbirds.

By Lisa Luna geroch

Just planted to butterfly bushes in terra cotta containers, should i water them a bit more till they get settled ? or just enough to keep soil a bit moist? How long should it take for them to get settled?

By Stephanie PA

Over this past weekend (5/2014)I purchased a Purple Midget Butterfly Bush "Buddleia davidii "purple midget". I can't seem to find any information online about this bush as far as the proper way to plant it, care for it, etc. Any suggestions on where I might find info on this particular butterfly bush? The planting instructions (which are minimal) on the tag mentioned make a mixture of native soil and conditioner. What is the "conditioner?"

By S. Lambarsky

Many bushes and trees have suffered from the cold and snow this past winter. But don't give up yet. There is still a good chance that the bush will leaf out. Even if the top branches have died, there is a good chance that new growth will emerge from the roots.

By Mary Cerreta

Hi Mary,
Yes, butterfly bushes are deer resistant and are rarely damaged. The butterfly bush will do well in a large container. Just remember to water often during warm spells as containers dry out much more quickly than if the bush was planted in the ground.

By JessicaJ in KY

Hello. I have a rather large butterfly bush that I planted fairly close to my house about 7 years ago. It is currently around 12 ft tall and at least 12 ft wide. I live in central Kentucky, so we occasionally get some pretty rough winters. This past winter was one of those. The tree next to my butterfly bush received a lot of ice accumulation and, due to the weight, a branch broke off and landed on top of my butterfly bush causing it to lean over and partially uproot. My neighbors say that the bush is dead and that I need to cut it down. However, I am hoping that they are wrong and it is only in a dormant phase, as it normally looks this way in the spring and doesn't bloom until summer. I am not sure of the exact type of bush that it is, but it produces white flowers. I hope I have given enough information to receive some help. Please reply with good news. Thanks.

Is it possible to put the uprooted section of the bush back in the soil? Increase watering so that the bush can start rebuilding its roots. If the root damage is bad, then you may want to prune the bush back by about 1/3.

By Karrie Lewis

I recently expanded my garden to control an erosion problem from drainage issues coming from my neighbor's yard. I planted a new butterfly bush in the corner, but a lot of water collects in the "trough" area of the garden when it rains. My butterfly bushes leaves are wilting. I assume it is drowning, so I moved it to another location in the garden. Will the bush recover, or did it truly drowned? Leave are green still.

You were right to move it. The butterfly bush does not do well in wet, poorly drained sites. We assume you're in a suitable growing zone for this plant (zone 6 and warmer).
Early spring is also the right time to transplant--before it breaks dormancy in your area. Usually, butterfly bushes move easy, as long as you transplanted correctly in the right site, soil, etc. Good luck!

By Gerri Sullivan

I live in Bellevue, NE and my mom passed away this last summer at the age of 92 and one of the joys in her life was to sit at the kitchen table and watch her butterfly bush. I am planting 2 in her honor this next week. Both areas get full sun but each area has unique issues. One is next to a big green power box and I think the reflection of the heat has killed everything I plant near it. The other area is a spot near the front of my house which is sort of confined. If the bush gets to crazy big can I trim it and kind of train it to stay withing the confines of the area?

By ScorpioTiger

I know a lot of things don't like growing next to electrical power boxes or large power lines. There's an invisible electrical field around anything that give off or generates power. This has been know to destroy plants, and irritate or ward of animals too. I've seen this from past experiences.

Butterfly bush is very forgiving so you will be able to trim it to stay within the confines of where you plant it. You'll severely prune it each spring. Since they bloom on new wood, cut them back to the ground every spring.

By Denise White

I planted 2 butterfly bushes last year. I cut them back this spring and since they started growing I see several new sprouts around them, some about a foot from the original plant. I'm wondering if these are from seeds or off the root system? I haven't tried digging them up yet, but hoped they were new plants to dig up and transplant somewhere. I've had one in my back yard for several years and have never seen a new plant around it, so I was pretty excited to see these. I live in Ne Alabama.

Your butterfly bush is producing suckers; they sprout near the original plant. You need to dig out these weedy seedlings to control the spread. You can try transplanting the roots, too. After your bush finishes flowering for the season, prune at least one-third of the plant down to the stems.

I live in southern Indiana and lost all of my butterfly bushes this winter. There is no sign of life in any of them. The branches are all dry and brittle and no sign of new growth at the base. The same holds true on one of my hydrangeas on the North side of my house. :-(

By les clark

I am giving mine a couple more weeks because everything is late this year and today just noticed some buds on a crepe myrtle bush that I almost gave up on. The butterfly bush should come back from base of plant. I'm in western Pennsylvania.

If you break a branch, does it just snap? If you take a knife to the branch, do you see any green? You can try to prune it back and see if this sparks new growth. If your butterfly bush isn’t showing new growth by late May, it may have died.

By Stephen Detwiler

I have the same question. I live in Johnstown PA though. They are still very brittle. The guy at Lowes said they were probably dead and I should take them back. I also read online given the horrible winter temps we had that they sometimes die completely and start new shoots. I guess this is saying The old branches are dead and not coming back.

By Kathy Frankford

I prune my plants several times in the year. The time time I trim the bush was in September, the weather was still in the 80s, then one day it drop down to
the 30-40. My question is, when should we start seeing new growth in the spring?
I am hoping the cold did not kill them.
I live in Tennessee, 45 minuets from Knoxville.

I am new to Farmers & did not see where to check for a planting zone. I just heard about this Butterfly Bush plant & would like to know if it can be successfully planted & grown here in Phoenix, Arizona, where I live. I am referring specifically to our high heat index, very low humidity and our soil condition which is hard packed clay based. I will probably have to rework the soil but the high heat is a real concern. Thanks for your informaion in advance.

By FlaJoe

I live in Fla. I want to put in a few butterfly bushes but I don't have a spot that gets full sun. One site gets 2-4 hours of full sun then about 4 hours of dappled sun. The other site gets mostly full sun most of the day. Do you think the bushes will thrive in either location?

By Teresa Stueck

I live in zone 8 in Panama City, Florida we don't get hard freezes here like the northern states do just mild freezes. I want to plant a bunch of Buddleia seeds. However, I don't know if I am suppose to refrigerate the seeds for a week to mimic a cold experience or not. I contacted the person that I purchased the seeds from but she wasn't exactly helpful.

Panama City itself is in zone 8B. Many varieties of Buddleja should work well in 8B. Just make sure the soil doesn't get too moist as it likes it on the drier side. Pests from moistness is the main problem for this plant in your area.

By Jimy Mason

hi all from little old new zealand
we have a purple butterfly bush and love it but are trying to figure out how to do cuttings.as i cant locate any other colours here.as a child we had a red butterfly bush i would be interested if anyone had any colored seeds they wanted to send me
thank u
jimy mason

As stated two answers down: You can overwinter the containers in a cool shed or unheated garage. The plants need to go dormant. If you leave them outdoors protect the containers with straw or hay. You can also plant them in the ground now and add some mulch around the bushes. Keep them watered until the ground freezes.

By Angela B.

Prune your butterfly bush in late in winter or early spring. The results of studies demonstrate that pruning buddleia before the plants have become fully dormant in the fall increases the chance for winter injury resulting in death.

By David Kenneway

I am trying to identify a Buddleia species that I spotted growing in a garden in the Dunblane area. The flowers had the characteristic spike of the Buddleia davidii species but the flower colour was more like the Buddleia globosa and/or Buddleia x weyeriana.

You can overwinter the containers in a cool shed or unheated garage. The plants need to go dormant. If you leave them outdoors protect the containers with straw or hay. You can also plant them in the ground now and add some mulch around the bushes. Keep them watered until the ground freezes.

By kayboberg88

hello, I bought a house last year that has a butterfly bush in our front flower bed. we let all our plants grow this year because we have no clue what was what and now we want to trim the bush back (late October) because it is over 8ft, we arent sure how to cut or when. help!

By crbehrens

We moved into a house in western NC mountains zone 7a. The previous tennants did nothing and all the plantings were seriously overgrown. There are two butterfly bushes planted beside the second story deck. They were both growing into the deck and way over aprox. 10-12 feet high. We moved in August 1. I pruned the tops and all along the trunks just to be able to access the garden they were planted in. They are both sprouting all along the trunks from ground to top. They have just lost the last of the blooms. The foliage is a beautiful sliver green and healthy looking. Should I still prune in the spring?

By Judy Goad

A neighbor gave me a butterfly bush back in the summer that had been dug up, so I transplanted it in full sun. It is approx.6Feet tall. it never bloomed but in late summer and even now in the late fall it has green pods on them. I pulled one of the pods off and opened it up and it looks like a bunch of tiny white seeds inside. are these new seeds or is it because it didn't bloom? I have mulched good as we had our first frost just last night.Iam in southwest Virginia area. any information you can give me would be helpful. also if these are seeds do I need to cut the pods off and dry the seeds to plant?

Usually seed pods develop throughout the flower clusters. The pods look like small green upright footballs. When the pods mature they turn dark brown and spit open at the tip. I'm not sure that the pods you have are from a a butterfly bush. Check with you neighbor who gave you the bush.

By Judy Goad

You can let the pods naturally seed or you can save the seeds for new plantings. Wait until the pods turn a dark brown (this could take a few weeks). Sometimes it's best to remove the pods (even if green) and let them dry/turn brown on a piece of tissue paper (on a tray or plate) until the tip of the pod splits. Tap and the very small dust-size seeds will fall out. Fold up the tissue and store in an envelope in a dry place until ready to plant.

By commander_cody

My wife's butterfly bush has pulled the root system from the ground due to heavy growth on the sun drenched side of the plant. It needs pruning & trans-planting now (mid Oct). Question is: Can I prune it back now and move it to a more suitable location? I live in Richmond, VA. Just had a two day soaking rain. I truly would like to save this beautiful plant. FYI...the root system is more than half way pulled from the ground.

By Jeanie Slack

I live in NE Ohio. My butterfly bush was planted last year and has outgrown its current location. I want to transplant it now (October). Should I move it, or should I wait till spring? If I move it now will it hurt to cut it back and cover it with mulch for the winter? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

By shazia

By Rao

Yes it is available in Lahore, Pakistan.
I have recently converted my lawn into a bird/ insect attracting Eco-garden.
Among other insect friendly plants, butterfly bush certainly holds the center stage. Mine is in deep pink color.
You may also find its fragrance very amusing.

By debi petersen

My daughter lives in Indiana not far from Chicago and she put a butterfly bush in a sunny spot but it has grown so high she wants to dig it up and give it to the neighbors who love it. Can you help me by telling me the best time to do this and if there are any butterfly bushes that grown only 4-5 feet tall. This is is well into 7 feet tall and massive. Thanks in advance

This shrub typically grows from 6 to 10 feet tall by 4 to 10 feet wide. You can severely prune in late winter back to the woody frame to keep it under control. In fact, pruning butterfly bushes to within one foot of the ground annually enhances the flower display. They are easily to transplant. Try moving in May; they can be late to "awake" in spring.

By Sandi Ashworth

According to your local extension:
Prune the butterfly bush in early spring before new growth begins. Do not prune in the fall or winter as this increases the risk of cold damage.
Pruning butterfly bushes to within one foot of the ground annually enhances the flower display. Don't worry; they will re-sprout vigorously from the crown (i.e. where the stems meet the roots).
Also, deadhead the spent panicles before they go to seed to lengthen the bloom period, provide a neater look to the plant, and prevents unwanted seedlings in the garden.

By Sandra Ashworth

By lori m.

I live in Winnipeg, Canada. Zone 3-4. Recently saw the white Buddleia at an outdoor park here, which was full of hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. I am not sure if this species was transplanted into the ground for our very hot summers and then dug out and put into a greenhouse over winter, OR can I plant these here and leave them be over the winter -- something like the hydrangeas we have ???

Most buddleias are hardy to USDA zone 5. You may be able to overwinter a bush if you grow it in a container and move it into a cool garage or basement for the winter. Visit a local nursery and see if they have any suggestions. There may be a few varieties that are hardier than others.

By paula sprague

This is a really informative site. Thank you! I am renting a home and thinking of buying; 3 HUGE butterfly bushes. And I mean HUGE. I have never seen so many beautiful and colorful butterflies in my life! {cheaper than therapy ;)}; so the thought of 'cutting them back to a few feet' scares me. The one in front of my front door is probably at least 15 feet high and well over 20 feet wide (limb spread). I live in NC.

By Rebie Nicholson

I planted two butterfly bushes 2 years ago. They were pruned back -last spring and have been beautiful...until about two weeks ago. They both look totally dead - brown leaves over the entire plant - no green, no flowers. There are no bugs/mites/aphids. About two weeks ago we had a spike of very high temperatures 104 the last two days - 100+ over the past month. The plants are on an irrigation system - and I increased the watering amount (we are on water restrictions and can only water one day a week) but no change. Should I just cut them back now ... or wait a bit longer ... all other plants seem to be doing fine - just these two bushes.(Austin, Tx)

The heat was too much for the bushes. Cut off the branches that look dead and remove the dead leaves. Keep them watered. Hopefully the roots are still fine and you'll get some new growth later this season or next spring.

By Donna Langford

By Nathlee Foster

Have a silly question> Hope someone can answer. I've looked into ordering butterfly bush seeds online and many places have them. What I want to know is do butterfly bushes form their own seeds like many plants and flowers do. If so, please let me know.

By megan lane

Hi, How are you? This may sound like a silly question but I have to ask it anyway. I just bought a lilac colored butterfly bush today at a local nursery. It is about 3 feet tall, and maybe 2 feet wide approx. It is still in a pot and i plan on planting it later this evening. (i live on long island, new york). My question is: if I am supposed to cut it back basically to the bottom every year, how will it get to be 5-6 feet tall? wont it be regrowing the same amount each year?

We're not sure where you live, however, if your region gets cold, you really want to save the seeds and sow them indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before last spring frost. You may need extra artificial light. Once seedlings have at least 2 pairs of leaves, you can transfer each one to an individual container. Then, you can transplant them outdoors, but first put them in a sheltered place for 7 days to accustom them to the weather. Set the small plants 2 to 3 feet apart in a sunny area well after all danger of frost.

Fall and spring are good times to plant the butterfly bush. If you live in a colder region we suggest that you plant the bush in the fall and add some mulch. Prune in early spring to promote new growth. You can also prune the bush during the summer so that it doesn't get too big.

By Kelly F.

I have two butterfly bushes that were growing fine until the rainy season - we live near the coast in central FL. Now 75% of the leaves are brown and wilted. No sign of any holes in the leaves or webbing. I pulled the mulch back from around them, but am not sure what else I can do. Any suggestions?

Too much water can cause root rot. Hopefully by pulling the mulch back and letting the roots dry a little your bushes will bounce back. Add a little compost around the bushes if you haven't fertilized lately.

By Rick Humphrey

I have 3 Large Butterfly bushes that I intend on drastically pruning each year in March. Can I use a chipper/shredder to create mulch from this high volume of annual growth being pruned? In other words does the mulch created from the wood of a butterfly bush attract insects that would be harmful to the Butterfly bushes and/or other perennials in my garden?

By Angel Burke

I live in NH and am wondering if I can plant a butterfly bush by the driveway where it isn't protected by the house or anything? My mom thinks the cold NH winters make it so the bush needs to be closer to the house. Thank you

Butterfly bush is hardy in Zones 5 to 10. If you live in southern NH you should be all set. No worries. Further north you can still plant it by the driveway but make sure to mulch it well before winter.

By Scott Derrow

I know this is probably a dumb question, but when you say "Remove spent flower spikes to encourage new shoots and flower buds"...how exactly do you do this? Do you mean cut them off or pinch off the dead flower buds or is there a recommended way to do this? I planted 2 new bushes in the Spring, so I am a newbie at this. I live in NC. Thanx.

No dumb questions! By deadhead, we mean remove spent bloom of the butterfly bush. With this plant, you have a lot of flexibility. You can really cut it off with pruning shears anywhere behind the dead bloom. In the spring before new growth starts, we cut it back hard (to about a foot) to keep a compact shape. You want to cut back to the next live bud or growing point.

By Claire

Some of My purple butterfly bushes are coming back with white not purple flowers. I live in PA. Is there something wrong in the soil? Is there anything I can do to prevent the remaining purple bushes from going white?

Well, we just learned something: For the vividly colored butterfly bushes, plant in sun and in rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. When planted in shade, butterfly flowers tend to be pale pastels or even white. We hope this helps you. Thanks for asking!

By DiFabio

It is possible, maybe likely by now, that you did kill them. Pruning before the plants become fully dorman in the fall can result in failure in the next season. Late winter or early spring pruning is recommended.
Sorry to have to tell you.

By Lynne Franks

I'm in central IL and have butterfly bushes at least 14 yrs old.They're in full sun along a concrete driveway, never watered or fertilized. Flower heads are always a disappointment b/c they start browning out will the end is still blooming. Look ratty, so I cut them back. They don't look luscious like your picture. Also, older leaves always turn yellow (have started already). Never notice any bugs. I pull them off and sometimes new leaves grow back. What am I doing wrong? Also...too big. I cut back to the about a foot in the spring but are too big. Is it ok to deadhead about a foot at a time as I remove the spent flowers? Thank you!

By ann m sullivan

We purchased a home last August. One corner of the front of the house near the front door are 4 butterfly bushes. The bushes were maybe waist-high with many blooms. This year the bushes are as tall as we are. The size is not appropriate for the location. Is there any way to keep them a certain size?

By pcporvida

I grew my butterfly bush from seeds, which grew almost 4ft in a pot, I water when needed, all leaves look healthy, but thee is still no flower buds & I'm getting worried.. when should expect to see it flower? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks!!

After consulting several sources, we can only say that it's not time yet. Bloom season in most people seems to be July (well, later in July) to September. However, the weather conditions so far this year and portions of lat year may have altered this schedule in your area.
It's a funny thing because every source claims that these are never-fail plant. So give it a little longer. . . and inquire at your local nursery or agricultural cooperative-extension service.

By susan damiano

My butterfly bushes which are in pots have something eating them! Their leaves almost look like a crocheted tablecloth or something. Some of the leaves are completely "crocheted" to the stem that runs down the middle. What is doing this to them?

This sounds like the work of earwigs or Japanese beetles. Have you looked for bugs? Try laying out wet newspaper rolls and then dropping the earwigs into soapy water. Try the beetles in, too. Go to your garden center with a leave sample and ask for a safe insecticide.

By Duane Winter

By Theresa Wilkinson

my butterfly bush grew beautifully with lots of healthy leaves and flowers and then all the leaves have come off and flowers gone, looks like it was eaten but no sign of caterpillars. some little tiny bugs though! What should I do?

Spider mites can kill leaves and aphids can do a job on the bush. Earwigs also enjoy eating the leaves. Give the bush some extra compost or aged manure. Check any new growth for bugs and spray with horticultural oil or a dish soap and water mixture.

By Karenina

My butterfly bush split down the middle of the trunk. Should I try and tie it up or just leave it and prune it in the fall. I'm wondering it I didn't plant it deep enough, I got it at the end of the season and it was dying. I didn't think it was going to make it, but it did. I live in central Alabama. Thanks! Blessings!

Hard to know exactly the origin of the problem exactly but excess moisture (rain!) could be the culprit. (Hasn't there been a lot of rain down your way?)
If leaf and other growth is continuing, you could tie it up for the remainder of the season. In any case, prune it in the fall as directed above.
Congratulations on saving it from dying. It should come back again next season.

I moved to my home just over 2 years ago and have 2 butterfly bushes. I do prune them back to the ground and they did fine with that last year. This year the greenery is beautiful and it is blooming but the blooms do not look real healthy. They are usually very purple and large. This year they are very small and not as vibrant. We have had alot of rain in the past several weeks. Could this be causing a problem. The bed they are in does have good drainage so the soil does not stay overly wet. Any suggestions?

Keep pruning. If you prune your butterfly bushes to within one foot of the ground, it should enhance the flower display. In terms of good bloom: Did you prune at the right time? Be sure to prune in spring before new growth begins since they flower on new growth. Don't prune in the fall or winter to avoid cold damage. Deadheading to lengthen blooming as well.

By Eileen Mullinaux

I have 5 small plants still in their 4" H x 2" W pots, bought over the Internet. We have a lot of hardpan on our property, which has stunted oranges, for example. How deep should I try to dig the hole, now that it's so small, and anticipating that the roots will hit hardpan. Should I mound first? How big will the rootball get? I'm in 9b and want to plant in July, just to get them going and stable before winter.

By Candy Robinson

What's your geographic location? We have lots of these shrubs planted in our yard & have had no problems growing them. They bloom w/little care. Dig your hole 6-8 inches deep. If the roots aren't coming out of the bottom of the pots yet, that should be deep enough. Then I would get a bag of "good" potting soil and fill the hole back up w/that. Does water penetrate your ground or stand on top? I'd try to work some kind of leafy mulch-type compost material around the plants after they are planted. Hope this helps! I'd get them in the ground quickly. Keep them watered though, so they can establish roots prior to winter!

By Sunadcor

My two new buddleias (planted professionally last August) are growing fine, except some of the lower branches are falling off the trunk at the soil line. We live in zone 4 and have had a very wet spring. I can't see any bugs but they do have bark mulch almost up to the trunk. Is this a bad sign for the health of the plants? What can I do ? I also see this happening to the Shasta daisys. Thank you!

It's hard for us to diagnose from here but usual problems are: it's planted too deeply, there's too much mulch around base, it's suffering from a pest, the rootball dried out at planting time, or your soil is too soggy. Though the butterfly bush is quite resilient, it is essential to have well-drained soil as their roots will quickly rot when waterlogged.

By Carolyn Holody

I planted a red butterfly bush about two weeks ago and it was doing well until we had three days of Michigan rainstorms. It started to wilt and droop really bad, so I dug it out of very saturated soil and put it in pot that I had from another flower that I planted. I haven't been watering it since it was so wet, but it hasn't perked up since I put it in the pot. Will it eventually start coming back to life, or has it been damaged due to being over watered? I hope that I can nurse it back to health so I can find a better place to plant it. Please advise me what to do. I read the Old Farmer's Almanac and I trust your advice. Thank you.

By Janet siders

Zone 8 (South Georgia) Now have five butterfly bushes. Planted the first one three years ago, the second last year and three more last month. The first two are blooming, but not nearly as many as last year and the blooms seem damaged. the spikes only grow blossoms from the middle to the top. plants are in full sun, but I didn't know about pruning so they've never been pruned. I remove spent boom abut every 2-3 days.

By Dottie cates

I am baffled. I have 4 butterfly bushes that I planted. They grew well, however now they are getting yellow leaves and the leaves are falling off. We have had a lot of rain. I mulched in the spring. One in particular has very Larry leaves and outgrew the others. It seems to be in the worst shape, however it is blooming . The ones beside it are fine but losing leaves at the bottom. They are panted next to the porch and only get sun on 3 sides. Just trying to give you as much info as possible. Will buy something for spider mites but could it be something else. Maybe over watering from a wet spring? It is a drained area . I trimmed it a bit today as it looks awful, like a scraggly tree but with blooms.

By Stacey Tess

Our two butterfly bushes look in serious distress - the leaves are curling and turning brown, with smaller leaves nearest the main stalk all yellow. Some leaves have small holes. They are not over-watered. The bushes are on opposite sides of my yard, in Long Island, NY. Both bushes were cut low to ground (about a foot) in the Fall, as I've done for the three years I've had them. I spent the morning going to local plant nurseries, but they are stumped - no help. It looks like the bushes will die without quick action. Thank you!

Check for pests. Spider mites can yellow leaves and aphids can do a job on the bush. Earwigs also enjoy eating the leaves. Give the bushes some extra compost or aged manure and cut off the brown leaves.

By Stacey Tess

Thank you! Will do. The leaves have continued to curl (up, not under) and brown (which starts at the tips), so yesterday I sprayed with Volck in case it's mites. I will add compost and remove brown leaves now. Very much appreciate your reply!

By Emily L.

Is the end of June too late to prune my three huge butterfly bushes? I know you should do it in the spring, but mine were tiny and didn't look like they needed it. Now they've exploded to 8 feet tall and are hanging over in the driveway... Will it hurt to cut them back a bit? Also, what is the best *organic* solution to the bugs that keep eating them? I have tried neem oil with no success... Thank you for any help you can give me!

You can prune now. New growth and blooms should reappear within weeks of pruning. These bushes can handle stress very well. Try to identify the bugs that attack your plants. A spray of water and mild dishwashing soap may get rid of aphids or spider mites. If you have beetles in the bushes set up beetle traps.

By Dawn Chianese

By jason seehafer

I recently bought a property which has 2 very large butterfly bushes (more like trees given their size). 10 feet wide and 10+ feet tall. I've read that butterfly bushes should be cut back to the ground every spring. Is that recommended in this instance?

By JenM

My local nursery advised me that they should be cut back by 1/3 each spring. I did cut a couple of mine back to about 6-8 inches or so above the ground in late April. They did go into shock, but about the first of June they started growing again. If it's already hot where you are, perhaps you should wait until spring to cut them back.

By Kathleen F

I trimmed my butterfly bush in the fall not realizing you do it in the early spring. I have not yet seen any growth (Orange County, NY) yet. I am wondering if its just delayed from our unseasonable cold and wet June? Please advise.

If you had a cold, wet spring, then give them a bit longer.
Fall pruning isn't ideal as it can increase the risk of cold damage. Did you have a tough winter? Did you have mulch or snow to insulate the roots? Do you have any new growth at all? You could try a scratch test on your plants; scratch the stalks near the base, and if you see green, they are still alive. We wish you well.

You could try protecting the plant this year with mulch and a tomato cage. It may be that the plant will recover this year, producing some leafing branches. (You won't get flowers.) Depending on your hardiness zone, there might be enough time for the plant to re-establish itself a bit before winter. If there doesn't seem to be a response over the summer, you could replace it with another plant in fall or spring (which are the best planting times).

By kim fitzgerald

My Buddleia bush was just a stalk with a few leaves when i got it.It had plenty of roots,it was from one a friend had. One year later its grown but only has 2 branches coming off the main stem plenty of leaves but no flowers what have i done wrong or what do i need to do HELP!!!!

It could be that the plant just needs a little more time to become established. Make sure that your plant is getting full sun, and enough water (but not waterlogged), and that the plant is hardy in your area. Some buddleias bloom in late summer, so you may not see flower buds right now, depending on what variety you have. Also, make sure it doesn't have too much nitrogen fertilizer, which encourages leaf growth but inhibits flowering. It sounds like your plant is healthy--no curling/wilting/discolored leaves that might indicate disease or insects, so that probably isn't the trouble.

By Ms Karen Serra

I love my Butterfly Tree, it's the purple one. It's been in the ground for about 3-4 years now and am fascinated reading all the comments. I have never trimmed it other than the top of the branches just below the seeds. Will do that starting next spring though! It's a marvelous tree, can't really kill it, I live in zone 9a. My question is, there are thousands of seeds left after it blooms. What should/can I do with them? They don't seem to re-seed themselves. I read in one comment that you can put a clipping in fertile soil but what about the seeds? Thanks, God Bless!!!

You can save the seed and plant them. However, if your parent plant is a hybrid, the offspring will likely not exhibit the same traits. Plus, keep in mind that several modern hybrids are almost sterile, producing very few seeds.

Gather the seedpod when there are some signs of browning but not all the way (or the pod will split open). Set it in a plate or shallow pan in a warm room for several weeks to complete the drying process. Once the pods have dried and split open, tap the seeds out.

Some people save the completely dried pods, crush them, and then just scatter the seeds on the ground at an appropriate site. The seeds are very small, and there is a lot of debris (chaff) mixed in.

Others first store the seeds in a plastic bag in the freezer for about 4 weeks to give them a cold treatment (stratification). Then, they plant the seeds in seed-starting pots about 8 or so weeks before the last spring frost. Place each seed just on surface of the seed-starting medium and tap it gently; the seeds need light to germinate. Place the pot in bright, indirect light, in a warm (70 to 80 F) room. Keep soil moist but not waterlogged. Seedlings should appear in about 30 days. Transfer to larger pots as needed. Plant the seedlings out in spring.

By Kevin Mack

Zone 4 dead. I spoke to two local Master Gardeners friends this weekend and they both told me everyone's Buddleia in Minnesota died this Winter. Mine show no signs of life. We had an extreme Winter including deep frosts. Apparently, in Minnesota and Zone 4 they are considered annuals or delicate perennials, and nobody will warrant them as true perennials. One Master Gardener said the longest she had Buddleia in Minnesota was five years. She said she mulched the heck out of hers in the Fall but the frost was too deep this Winter. Fortunately, I found some beautiful new ones for $9.99 and look forward to plant them with care tomorrow!

By Julieg4

By SammieB

Just starting out...
My parents have recently purchased a small planted butterfly bush and are hoping to find just the right place for it in the yard. We have two ponds, one upper and one lower, connected by a waterfall system. The first thought was maybe on the banks of the upper pond, near but not too close to the waterfall. The area is full sun with almost 8 or more hrs of direct sunlight and is usually well drained being on a slight slope. My question is, could the roots cause damage to the pond banks and create leaks that would endanger the pond life?

By Nashville

How has the weather been? Often, this is due to a heat distress and lack of water. Make sure it gets a deep soaking to revive it. But don't overdo it. Water it during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Also, it helps if you apply a think layer of compost every spring, along with a few inches of mulch to retain moisture. Also, check for spider mites; try spraying the leaves, especially the undersides, with the water or an insecticidal soap spray. Avoid fertilizing.

By Betsy Sawicki

By L Volaric

I live in western PA and have about 15 butterfly plants. Our are is heavly populated with deer and have never seen any deer damage on them. You can start more plants by taking cuttings and put in a rich soil. Fantastic plant.

By KathleenNall

So glad I read the comments. Here, on May 25, in SE Wisconsin I seen on signs of life on my butterfly bushes and was ready to replace them - but it sounds like I should be patient! That's the excitement of gardening!!

By lynnmv

My butterfly bush is slowly coming back (zone 6) from bieng planted last year. I unknowingly prunned it last fall, before realizing it shoul;d have been done in the spring. It is maybe 5 inches of new growth right now. My question is, I would like to move it to a new location before it gets any bigger. Is this an ok time to do that or should I wait?

Spring and fall are the best times to transplant bushes and trees. If you move it to a new location now be careful to get the entire root ball and add some compost to the soil in the new location. Water well after transplanting.

By Josh76

Hello to all:
Anyone from Ontario Canada on the board and can comment if their Butterfly Bush is starting to show signs of life after our winter. I understand the are late to show signs of growth, but as of May 23, no sign of life yet, although when I broke a stem, it was green.
Thanks

By KKitcher

By Joshxyz

Okay thanks. I checked with my neighbour and one of her plants has shown some growth, the white variety. The nursery staff recommended waiting for another 10 days or so and to monitor. But sounds like they really are slow to return to the living world.

By Anonymous

By Anonymous

I love everything I see here about this beauty, I do however, have a veg garden not 10 feet from where I would be planting this and I am somewhat concerned about seeing that it not only attracts butterflies (hugh positive) but that it also attracts birds (hugh bummer for the garden) I am wondering if you have any suggestions or perhaps I am making a bigger deal out of this then I should. TYIA

By Anonymous

This plant is very fast growing ( in south western British Columbia ) I planted one on the east side of the garden and have to brutally prune it to keep it from shading the garden. I would suggest planting it on the north side of the garden to prevent shading. I have found it does not attract birds here ( except humming birds). It does tend to sprawl and needs annual pruning to control the growth or plant where there is a lot of room to spread out.

By Anonymous

Buddleja Davidii originated from China and Japan. Most of the plants in commercial trade by the name "butterfly bush" are cultivars of this non-native. However, there are also North American natives of "Buddleja" -- Buddleja marrubiifolia (woolly butterflybush) native to Southern Trans-Pecos and Mexico, Buddleja racemosa (wand butterflybush) native to Texas, Buddleja scordioides (escobilla butterflybush) native to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and Buddleja sessiliflora (Rio Grande butterflybush) Arizona and Texas.

By Anonymous

We have thousands of pages so we may not get to them all but we'll try! The gardening season is getting very active. We hope that our wonderful gardening community will help out, too. To everyone reading this, please review the Q&As below because 1 out of 5 times the question has been asked before. Thank you--and enjoy our free garden pages and web site!

By Anonymous

My bush has done really well in full sun facing south, in the front of the house. It is over 6 feet tall and just as wide. I have not pruned it since planting it a few years ago. Is it too late to cut it way back now in mid-May? Should I cut it back to the ground or higher?

By annette piceu

A butterfly bush produces blooms on the current season’s new growth. If you prune now you will not have blooms this year. Wait to prune in early spring next year. You can cut the bush back to about a foot above soil level.

By Anonymous

By Anonymous

I live in Kentucky and my Butterfly Bush is in full bloom. The biggest problem I have is the excessive roots that are coming out of the ground all around the perimeter (3-4 feet away from base) and it looks like weeds growing all thru my mulch. Thus, I can't plant any other flowers there due to the mass of roots. Is this normal?

By Anonymous

I live in Southern Wisconsin (Milw.area) and just pruned my bushes yesterday down to the ground. Is this much too late? When should I expect to see some growth? I planted my bushes last year and they were absolutely beautiful!! I would hate to have lost them due to pruning too late or too far back to the ground.

By Anonymous

By Anonymous

My butterfly bush, which is about 10 years old, has not been flowering as well for the last 2 years. I did notice that the leaves were ragged last summer--but I'm not sure what insect was eating them. It seems slow in leafing out this spring. I live in northwestern RI. Any recommendations?

By Anonymous

My husband trimmed my 4 year old butterfly bush last fall in late fall about 2 feet above the ground. The bush shows no signs of life this spring. Should I trim it back a little more to stimulate growth? Normally it is a little green by now. I live in southern Wisconsin.

Give it time. Don't do anything else. It should come back, even if (per above) you didn't cut it right to the ground. (From where we are it looks as though parts of Wisconsin and surrounding areas are having either a long winter or a late spring, what with cold conditions. This bush might just be getting a slow start.

No—do not plant it until you are relatively certain that spring is here. If it seems like it might be more than a week or so, sure, put it into a pot. In the meantime, keep the roots wrapped as they were shipped (or something like it: newspaper and then lightly bound in plastic) and damp with, say a spray bottle. Don't set the plant into a bucket of water.

By Anonymous

Hi all,
I wanted to buy a butterfly bush from a planter at Lowe's but I didn't know when I should transplant it. I can't keep it in the house because my 3-year old kills plants. When is the earliest I can plant in zone 5?

By Anonymous

We planted two bushes from 12" pots about ten years ago, they have done fantastic. We took some cutting in the fourth year, put them in water first then plant, they are also beautiful. We cut them to about three foot and the end of the Season/Blooms. Now, I'm thinking of starting a Butterfly Bush farm. Starting some cuttings in my small greenhouse. Will let you know how they do.

By Anonymous

I made a 7 foot circular raised bed with stone on edge about 8 inches high I doomed the center of the bed approximately 4 inches higher then the out circumfrance of the bed cause it likes good drainage and like somewhat dry conditions and we are in low land by a swamp I I was careful to dig a 4 inch to 6 inch deep ditch around the bed inside and outside and filled it with some sand and loose scrap stone and covered it with old plastic grocery bags so soil would not clog it up and stop good drainage then I filled it back in and cover it up lawn is growing over it and you never would know I had that good drainage there!!I put plenty of compost I got for $20 a pick up truck load and bone meal and natural slow break down soil admendments its been there for 4 years now and what is amazing when I first year transplanted it I had fantastic growth and blossoms it is still doing great by the way I have a big comphrey hedge so I put alot of comphrey leaves in the soil when I planted it!Oh by the way I let it self seed and even thou it is a very large plant with deep violet blue flowers the new plants that came from it were white and blue mixed on the same flowers it look beautiful I'm thinking of propagating it and selling my own plants I never expected that to happen a pleasant beautiful surprise! If you want some seed I safed alot of them my email is gfjbthllr@yahoo.com drop me a line and share some of your wisdom and success with me aswell Im Georgie from Connecticut zone 5

By Vivian Jache

I have 18 butterfly bushes in my yard...we have a very steep incline to our lawn so we decided to mulch the entire area & put in a garden, now we don't have to mow that area and it's gorgeous! Very interested in obtaining your "new" blue/white butterfly
Vivian

By Anonymous

By Anonymous

I would absolutely love some seed if u still have any, i so love this plant i live in nh and i love my hummingbirds and they love this plant , i want many more , i also have seed for trade if u r looking for anything
katrina

By Anonymous

I live in California,I see that the information says to prune the Butterfly bushes all the way back in Spring. I noticed that all of my bushes have new baby leaves all over the branches. Do I still prune back all of the branches with the new leaves growing. Thanks for the information.

It may seem contrary but all of our sources indicate that even in warm climates, the butterfly bush should be pruned to close to the ground in early spring. In your climate that could have been in January, so do it as soon as you can. the plant is more prolific and the flowers are larger on new wood. Best wishes!

By Anonymous

In general, Buddleia davidii blooms in midsummer in warmer climates. Other species, such as B. x weyeriana, bloom in spring and/or early summer. A few bloom in late winter, such as B. asiatica. Bloom times can also vary according to local climate. You might ask a local nursery about what the bloom times are for these plants in your area.

By Anonymous

I bought a butterfly bush this summer in a hanging basket. It is a beautiful 12 inch plant and has been blooming ever since I brought it home. I wonder when would be the best time of year to plant it in the ground. I live in Zone 7.

Fall is a good time to transplant a butterfly bush. It prefers moist, well-drained soil and partial to full sun. Add some compost to the soil prior to planting. In the spring prune the bush while it is still dormant.

It's a good idea to tie up some of the branches that grow out into your lawn. In early spring prune the side branches leaving just a few of the main stems in the center of the bush. Some people prune the bush all the way down to the ground before new growth starts in the spring.

By WEisenhower

By Anonymous

My butterfly bush is big and beautiful and I just love it. However i have noticed this year that the flowers are dying early and I'm not sure if I should prune the dead flowers off the bush now in late summer in Indiana or leave alone and prune back to base in late winter.

For butterfly bush, it's OK at any time to remove flowers that have recently died (called deadheading). This will encourage more blossoms to develop during the bloom season (which usually ends sometime in October) and prevent the plant from focusing its energy on forming seeds. Usually when flowers die, it means that they have been pollinated and are starting to form seeds, or they have reached the end of their life cycle. Occasionally, it might mean an insect, disease, or cultural problem (such as excessive heat or freezing), but it's unlikely in this case, since the actual bush is doing well. No matter what the cause, it won't hurt the plant if you'd like to prune off the spent flowers.

By Anonymous

I live in Southern Ontario and have recently planted a butterfly bush. It's been almost 2 weeks since I've planted it and now it looks like it might be dying. Is this normal or something I can prevent? I absolutely love the bush and planted it in my front garden where it gets lots of sun. The lady at the gardening center recommended that I mix the soil with bone meal and line the hole I dug for the bush, prior to planting. I've watered at least twice a week if it hasn't rained recently. What else can I do to keep it living?

Butterfly bush is a very tough plant. It usually grows well with little water and no fertilizer. It does die back in the winter but will start showing new growth in spring. Prune the bush after your last frost in the spring and when you see new leaves on the plant.

By Anonymous

I am in Southern Ontario and thought I had lost my butterfly bush in March as we had unseasonally hot weather, it was in full leaf. We had a devasting frost and everything was gone. It came back and is just incredible with blooms, butterflies and a couple of hummingbirds. Just love it.